The present invention relates to an apparatus for distributing air, to an apparatus for controllably rotating first and second doors simultaneously usable in such apparatus, and to a vehicle air conditioning system.
Vehicle air conditioning systems commonly have a number of outlet vents along the dashboard for example two face-level vents close to the vehicle centre line, and two further face-level vents situated close to the doors. One known apparatus has a fan propelling air through an evaporator into a mixing chamber where the air cooled by the evaporator mixes with air heated in a heater core. A flow control door is disposed across an outlet region of the mixing chamber, so that when the door is opened, air is provided at the previously-discussed face-level vents.
The known air conditioning apparatus is approximately along the vehicle centre line with air flow in the fore-and-aft direction, and the air outlet at the flow control door impinges on a transverse wall in an outlet chamber having two transverse outlets leading to the above-mentioned further vents, and two spaced aft-facing outlets for the centre-line face vents.
As a result, the fore-and-aft flow direction in the air conditioning apparatus sharply alters to two opposed generally transverse flows in the outlet chamber, with yet a further sharp turn to the fore-and-aft direction for the centre-line face vents.
As is known to those skilled in the art, such flow direction deviations waste energy, thus causing pressure drops, which means that an increased power of fan is needed to provide adequate flow. The movement of air due to such a fan, when incident on a wall transverse to the flow direction is undesirably noisy.
A primary object of the invention is to at least partly overcome the problems of the prior art.
It would be desirable to provide an improved apparatus for dividing a gas flow, such as an air flow, in a single path into two paths. It would further be desirable to provide a vehicle heating or air-conditioning system incorporating such apparatus having limited space, particularly in the direction of flow in the single path, which would mitigate drawbacks of noise, heat loss and excessive pressure drop. It would also be advantageous for such an improved apparatus to be extended to divide each of the two paths into two further paths.
According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided apparatus for distributing air, said air flowing along a first path, the apparatus comprising:
walls defining said first, a second and a third path, the first path bifurcating into the second and third paths, both the second and third paths diverging from the first path and having respective portions disposed at an angle of less than 180xc2x0 to one another;
a first door, rotatable about an axis disposed across the said portion of the second path;
a second door, rotatable about an axis disposed across the said portion of the third path;
a common operating device for rotating both doors, such that air is able to flow from the first path into the second and third paths, the flow being dependent on the position of rotation of the doors.
In such an apparatus the common operating device may comprise:
a shaft having a longitudinal axis, the shaft being rotatable about said longitudinal axis;
an actuator for rotating said shaft;
a first arm extending from the said shaft for rotation therewith, the first arm having a distal end;
a first linkage having two ends, one end being connected via a first joint to said distal end of said first arm, the first joint permitting relative rotation in two orthogonal planes between said first linkage and said first arm, and the other end being connected via a second joint to the first door, the second joint permitting relative rotation in two orthogonal planes between said first linkage and said first door; and the apparatus further comprising:
a second arm extending from the said shaft for rotation therewith, the second arm having a distal end;
a second linkage having two ends, one end being connected via a third joint to said distal end of said second arm, the third joint permitting relative rotation in two orthogonal planes between said second linkage and said second arm, and the other end being connected via a fourth joint to the second door, the fourth joint permitting relative rotation in two orthogonal planes between said second linkage and said second door.
Preferably the joints within the single operating device comprise either a ball and socket joint or alternatively a part having an aperture, and a hook which is hooked into the aperture.
Conveniently a heater core is disposed in the said first path, whereby air in the said second and third paths would be heatable.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for controllably rotating a first and a second door simultaneously, comprising:
a shaft having a longitudinal axis, the shaft being rotatable about said longitudinal axis;
an actuator for rotating said shaft;
a first arm extending from the said shaft for rotation therewith, the first arm having a distal end;
a first linkage having two ends, one end being connected via a first joint to said distal end of said first arm, the first joint permitting relative rotation in two orthogonal planes between said first linkage and said first arm, and the other end being connected via a second joint to the first door, the second joint permitting relative rotation in two orthogonal planes between said first linkage and said first door; and the apparatus further comprising:
a second arm extending from the said shaft for rotation therewith, the second arm having a distal end;
a second linkage having two ends, one end being connected via a third joint to said distal end of said second arm, the third joint permitting relative rotation in two orthogonal planes between said second linkage and said second arm, and the other end being connected via a fourth joint to the second door, the fourth joint permitting relative rotation in two orthogonal planes between said second linkage and said second door.
Conveniently the first and second doors each have a respective axis of rotation, said axes being disposed at an angle of between 0xc2x0 and 180xc2x0 to one another.
Preferably the joints comprise either a ball and socket joint or alternatively a part having an aperture, and a hook which is hooked into the aperture.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle air-conditioning system comprising:
walls defining a first, a second and a third path, the first path bifurcating into the second and third paths, both the second and third paths diverging from the first path and having respective portions disposed at an angle of less than 180xc2x0 to one another;
an evaporator disposed in the first path;
a heater core disposed in the first path downstream of the evaporator;
a first door, rotatable about an axis disposed across the said portion of the second path;
walls defining fourth and fifth paths, wherein the second path bifurcates into the fourth and fifth paths, the fourth path being offset from the first path and aligned substantially parallel to it, wherein air is able to flow from the second path into the fourth and fifth paths and out into the vehicle interior, flow being dependent on the position of rotation of the first door;
a second door, rotatable about an axis disposed across the said portion of the third path;
walls defining sixth and seventh paths, wherein the third path bifurcates into the sixth and seventh paths, the sixth path being offset from the first path and aligned substantially parallel to it, wherein air is able to flow from the third path into the sixth and seventh paths and out into the vehicle interior, flow being dependent on the position of rotation of the second door.
Conveniently the fifth and seventh paths are disposed substantially perpendicular to the first path and at substantially 180xc2x0 to one another.
Advantageously a common operating device is provided for rotating both doors. Such an operating device suitably comprises:
a shaft having a longitudinal axis, the shaft being rotatable about said longitudinal axis;
an actuator for rotating said shaft;
a first arm extending from the said shaft for rotation therewith, the first arm having a distal end;
a first linkage having two ends, one end being connected via a first joint to said distal end of said first arm, the first joint permitting relative rotation in two orthogonal planes between said first linkage and said first arm, and the other end being connected via a second joint to the first door, the second joint permitting relative rotation in two orthogonal planes between said first linkage and said first door; and the apparatus further comprising:
a second arm extending from the said shaft for rotation therewith, the second arm having a distal end;
a second linkage having two ends, one end being connected via a third joint to said distal end of said second arm, the third joint permitting relative rotation in two orthogonal planes between said second linkage and said second arm, and the other end being connected via a fourth joint to the second door, the fourth joint permitting relative rotation in two orthogonal planes between said second linkage and said second door.
Preferably the joints comprise either a ball and socket joint or alternatively a part having an aperture, and a hook which is hooked into the aperture.